The people who suffer from trichotillomania pull their own hair from various parts of the body. They can pull their eye lashes, eye brows, scalp hair, genital area hairs, and the hairs under the arms and on the face like moustache and beard. These people realize what they are doing and what consequences their actions will have, but they are unable to stop their behavior.

This disorder is usually triggered by a stressful situation. Hence, sufferers should try to reduce the stress in their day to day life in order to get rid of trichotillomania. However, things are not that simple even if you have access to the best therapists.

There are many celebrities with trichotillomania. Some have got control over the disorder while others are still struggling with it. Let’s find out who they are.

Megan Fox

Megan Fox is one of the hottest American actresses at the moment. She started her career in television shows in 2004 and has achieved great success. She has starred in many blockbusters like Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen and This Is 40. Despite her success, she was diagnosed with the trichotillomania disorder and has been admitted to hospital for medical treatment three times. She has an uncontrolled fear of bacteria as well.

Leonardo diCaprio

Leonardo diCaprio has been found to have the symptoms of OCD some of which are similar to that of trichotillomania. This happened during the filming of The Aviator in 2004.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron is best known for movies like Mighty Joe Young, Sweet November and Monster, which brought her an Oscar. Once during an interview at the Australian radio show “Kyle and Jackie O” she admitted that she had been diagnosed with trichotillomania. She shared that she had accepted it and that it is a nightmare to have it. This happened in the year of 2012.

Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is an American actor, singer, song writer, record producer and entrepreneur. He was diagnosed with trichotillomania in 2008, as he admitted in an interview. He has shared that it is not simple to live with this disorder.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry is one of the most popular American singers and a style icon for the younger generation. In 2010, she admitted that she is suffering from trichotillomania.

Victoria Beckham

She had to deal with severe hair loss which was partly due to trichotillomania. Victoria Beckham also suffers from skin discoloration – an issue in it’s extreme form (vitiligo) seen in popular celebrities such as Michael Jackson.

Kate Beckinsale

She was seen with bald patches in public many times. Even though she has not openly admitted that she is suffering from this disorder, we can be certain that her hair has not fallen on its own.

Naomi Campbell

The British top model has also been photographed with bald spots. It is speculated that she may be suffering from the disorder given that she has other behavioral issues as well. Recently under many occassions the public has seen Naomi’s battle with this disease. There are many pictures from poolside to vacations showing the severity of her case

Trichotillomania is a mental disorder. It is characterized by sufferers pulling their own hair out of common places the like scalp. Eye lashes and eye brows and sometimes the genital area can be affected too. Sufferers generally will not be aware of what they are doing and will feel ashamed later because of the act that has been done. Many people use makeup to cover the loss of hair that has resulted from pulling their hair out. To get rid of this behavior the only effective treatment is the self-help.

Identifying Hair Pulling Behavior

Each and every person suffering trichotillomania disorder will have a unique pattern of pulling their hair out. Identifying those unique patterns is very important for the treatment process. Identifying when, where, how and with what you’re pulling your hair is very important. A person with the disorder should make a note of everything which is related to the pulling of hair. By doing so, the habit or the behavior will be changed and the person will be free from the disorder.

Other self – help methods which might help to stop you from pulling your hair include:

Brute force

Medications, SSRI, anti-anxiety drugs and mood stabilizers

Willpower

Psychotherapy

Psychiatry

Prayer

Hypnosis

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Keeping a chart and making a note of each hair pulling

Meditation

Examination of feelings when pulling the hair

Reading religious books

Turning it over to god, going to church and focusing on god

Singing

Journaling

Talking to and confiding in others

Bio feedback

Accepting trichotillomania

Setting goals

Research

Online support groups

Avoid TV, reading books, computer use, taking on the phone

Avoiding stressful situations

Keep your hands constantly busy with something or some work

Cover the bald areas with hats, bandanas, scarves

Wear gloves and band aids on the fingers, mittens or false finger nails

Consider having a shaved head

Get help from support groups

Read books about trichotillomania

Go ahead with self – hypnotherapy CD

Special diets

Get help from naturopathic physicians

Read about the disorder on specialized websites

Hide tweezers or some other instruments which are used for pulling hair

Keep your fingers moisturized so that you will not be able to pull hair

Read some self – help books or listen to some self – help tapes

Have a loud cry at the time of pulling your hair

Try not to look in the mirror

Don’t go to bed until you feel sleepy

Connect with positive people

Keep your hands way from the face

Have a slow breathing

Tell yourself about the damage which will happen due to pulling the hairs

Keep your hair as short as possible

Reduce the intake of coffee

Wear false eye lashes

These are some of the best self – help methods that can be tried out when you feel the urge to pull hair from your body.

Pulling hair disorder is formally known as trichotillomania. A person who has this disorder will always have the urge to pull their hair out of some common places the like eye brows, eye lashes, and scalp. This will generally result in bald patches and loss of hair in these places. This effect of the disorder varies from one person to another. For some it might be mild and for some it might be considerable.

Symptoms

The symptoms which are common for trichotillomania are:

Bald areas and loss of hair

Repeated pulling of hair

Missing and sparse eye lashes and eye brows.

Urge to pull hair which will result in satisfaction and relief

Playing with the hair which has been pulled out

Eating or chewing the hair that has been pulled out

Rubbing the pulled out hair on the lips and on the face.

People usually pull out their hair when they are alone or when they are involved in some sedative activity. Later they will try to hide the patches from others when they are in public.

Causes

The cause of trichotillomania is not yet known but many believe that it is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Apart from that researchers believe that it is caused by imbalance in the chemicals, which are present in the brain

Risk Factors

People who are between the age 11 and 13, people who have a family history of trichotillomania, people who have negative emotions, people who need positive reinforcement, and people who have other disorders like anxiety and attention deficit hyper activity disorder are more likely to develop this particular disorder.

Complications

Trichotillomania leads to many other issues in one’s life like emotional distress, social problems and skin damage and hair balls. In order to get rid of all these complications then the person should get the necessary treatment.

Diagnosis

Before recommending treatment the doctor will carry out some diagnosis tests in order to confirm the disorder. Initially the doctor might question the patient in order to learn about their condition. Later the doctor might ask the patient to answer questions in a special questionnaire. Depending on the answers, the doctor will determine the treatment if the person is confirmed to have the condition.

Treatment

There are many treatments available for trichotillomania. The best one is considered to be psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy

It is also known as habit reversal therapy. This therapy helps the person realize what situation they are in when they feel an urge to pull the hair out. Also other activities will be used in order to avoid the urge to pull out hair.

Apart from this therapy, some medication may also be prescribed for fast relief from the trichotillomania.

People who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder seem to have many intrusive thoughts which will be repetitive. They might think that these thoughts are dangerous and immoral. These people will keep on worrying about their thoughts constantly. When a sufferer is more concerned about the disorder then the disorder will become worse. To find out whether a person has this disorder or not the symptoms related to it must be known.

Symptoms Related to Obsessions

Fear of contamination

Fear of being a homosexual or harming one’s children

Fear of harm

Unwanted thoughts which might be related to religious beliefs and personal perception or the fear of going to hell

Excessive concern for the order and symmetry

Obsessions with the body or physical symptoms

Compulsion

Compulsion is nothing but the response to the obsessions. Compulsion can be a mental action, special words, ordering, counting, prayers done in ritualized way and collecting. Some of the common symptoms which are related to the compulsion are:

Emotional reasoning

Generally washing hands three times a day will be ok for a normal person but it will not be ok for a person who has obsessive compulsive disorder. They need to wash their hands multiple times because of the fear of germs.

Worries about going crazy

The behaviors which are used in order to control the compulsive and unwanted thoughts make sufferers feel that they will go crazy. This might also result in more anxiety.

Impaired memory

If a person checks on something constantly then their memory gets worse in such a way that they even don’t know whether they have checked it or not.

Life changes and stress

The disorder might also interfere with the work as well as with the personal relationships of the person and this might result in more stress to the person. For example if a person checks the house for than 30 times before leaving it then their partner might feel frustrated and because of this the relationship might come to an end.

Attempts to block thoughts

If a person tries to block the thoughts that occur in their mind because of the disorder then they may become more persistent.

Some other common symptoms which are related to compulsion are:

Constantly cleaning and arranging certain objects in order

Avoiding public places

Taking extreme care to refrain from harming anyone

Repeatedly checking the zippers and the buttons on clothing

Hoarding objects such as newspapers

Asking the same questions over and over again.

If these symptoms are noticed in a person then it is better to take that particular person to the doctor in order to check whether they have OCD or not. If they are diagnosed with it the necessary treatment should be administered to helm them get rid of the problem.

Impulse control disorder is a type of disorder in which the affected person has the urge to hurt themselves with some sort of activity. By doing so, the affected person will experience satisfaction after completing the action. Kleptomania, gambling, trichotillomania and pyromania are some of the conditions which come under the impulse control disorder category.

Causes

The exact cause of the impulse control disorder is unknown, but it is believed that it might be caused by genetic, neurological and environmental factors. There are some researchers saying that it is caused by hormonal imbalance, abnormal nerve impulses and variations in the levels of the brain chemicals. People who had head injury and/or epilepsy especially when they were children will be at greater risk of developing the disorder. In children, this impulse control disorder comes along with other conditions like attention deficit hyper activity disorder.

They pyromania disorder is characterized by behavior which is repetitive and deliberate. People who have this kind of disorder will experience the satisfaction and relief whenever they see the onset of a fire. They will be more attracted to fires and also to the accessories which are related to starting fires like lighters and matches.

Kleptomania is a type of disorder in which the affected people have the urge to steal objects, which will not be used in their personal life. They will generally be tense just before stealing the object but after completing the action they will be relaxed and will feel satisfaction.

Trichotillomania is a disorder in which the sufferers pull out their own hair which will result in bald patches and loss of hair. As with the other disorders, people with this disorder will experience relief and satisfaction after pulling out their hair.

Gambling is a disorder which is also known as pathological gambling. It is characterized by the following:

Having preoccupation with gambling

Relying on others to get financial support

Gambling with a large amount of money

Losing job or relationship due to gambling

Unsuccessful efforts to control gambling

Gambling in order to deal with tension

Telling lies to family members and friends in order to get involved in gambling

Being restless when trying to stop gambling

Treatment

An impulse control disorder is treated in three different ways – with medication, behavior modification or psychotherapy. Medication and therapy are the best methods when you want to get rid of the disorder especially if it occurs with any other conditions like ADHD. If the disorder is accompanied by depression then it is better to treat it with anti-depressants. This is particularly important for trichotillomania and gambling. The methods which are involved in the therapies are stress management, relaxation techniques, and behavior modification. There are also many support groups available and they might also help for dealing with the disorder.

The most effective method for treating the trichotillomania disorder is therapy which must be combined with a network providing emotional support. Apart from therapies there are also many other treatments which are available for this disorder. Still, little research has been conducted in order to determine how effective those treatments are.

Psychotherapy

This type of therapy is a talk therapy which is often used for treating emotional problems and mental health conditions. The psychiatrist will talk with the affected person in order to learn more about them. According the results from the psychoanalysis further treatment will be recommended.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

This therapy comes under the category of psychotherapy. It is the most often recommended for people who are suffering from trichotillomania. This therapy helps you with addressing your thoughts and relationships and teaches you how to relate with the world which is around you. This therapy will be done in such a way that it changes the behavior. It should help for reducing the urge to pull hair out. Because of this it is also called as habit reversal therapy.

This therapy includes:

Education about the condition of the body and also about how it is treated

Making you aware of why and when you pull out your hair.

Educating you on how to create a new response when you feel an urge to pull your hair out

Creating barriers which help you to stay away from pulling out your hair

Making your friends and your family involved in the treatment which is given for you

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is actually done in order to change the state of consciousness. At the time of hypnosis, the doctor will try to change your behavior and you will be more likely to change your state and will stop pulling your hair out. The patient will typically accept the suggested changes quickly.

Relaxation strategies

There are many relaxation strategies which help for dealing with trichotillomania. Relaxation techniques like breathing exercises and meditation can be done to get rid of the disorder

Family therapy

Trichotillomania is a disorder which might cause distress to your family. Typically family members will feel powerless when it comes to helping you. In such cases it is better to consult a therapist. The therapist will be able to meet the family and explore the entire family’s views and relationships. They will also be able to understand whether the family is having any problem or not. This therapy is very helpful if a young child is having the disorder. Then the family will be able to work on the issues which the person with the disorder is facing.

Medication

Medications are also very effective for treating trichotillomania. However, they must be tried only if the therapies don’t work. A medication like SSRI, lithium, clomipramine can be used only if it is prescribed by a doctor.

Pulling the hair out from one’s own body is known as trichotillomania disorder. People suffering from this disorder will always have an urge to pull their hair and this will result in bald patches and loss of hair. Also the people with this disorder will experience a feeling of satisfaction after the episode of hair pulling. Before going for professional treatment the people who have this condition should try to deal with their behavior on their own. There are many ways in which to stop the pulling of hair out of various part of the body. Consider the main ones:

Make a note of pulling you hair Every time you do it. Whenever you feel an urge to pull hair out take the chart, which should be prepared already, and make a note. It is better to have a member of the family or a friend who is around do this job so that the note can be honest. Assume that you are going to pay money to someone you don’t like each time you pull your hair out. By doing so, you will be able to stop the pulling of hair out.

Reward yourself if you are trying to stop pulling hair out. This is often known as internal reinforcement. You can reward yourself in the way which you like the most if you don’t do the activity for more than two hours or for several days. By doing so, you will be able to get rid of the disorder.

If you are pulling hair unconsciously then the best way to get rid of this behavior is to wear an athletic ankle around the arms or a wig on your head. With these methods people will be able to stop pulling their hair.

Many a times trichotillomania is triggered when a person is under stress and during that time the person will start pulling the hair. To avoid this, the sufferer can learn to reduce stress which in turn will not trigger the onset of the disorder.

When you feel an urge to pull hair then you can imagine that you are at a stadium where there are many people around you. When you feel that people are watching you, you will not be pulling your hair out.

Make a note of the triggers of the behaviors associated with trichotillomania and try to avoid those situations, activities and people. This will help greatly for stopping the pulling of hair.

If these methods do not work, you should not give up. It is better to visit a licensed mental health care provider who can provide an appropriate treatment. The main treatment options include counseling, hypnosis, bio feedback and relaxation training. Each of these can be used in a combination with any other treatment which will also help you to stop pulling your hair because of trichotillomania.
Apart from all these methods, you should try to keep an optimistic attitude which will help you overcome all problems.